At a New Mexico legislature committee meeting last week, a state official said that oil and gas revenues should help the state deal partially with cuts embedded in the GOP’s just-passed tax and policy package.
Legislative Finance Committee director Charles Sallee told KSFR that he and his colleagues are still analyzing the potential impact of the massive and multifaceted legislation.
In an interview with Jim Falk for the program the Forum, Sallee said that residents won’t immediately feel the impact of clawbacks to healthcare and food assistance.
"The Medicaid cuts are spread out over a long period of time, 10 years," said Sallee.
"Many of them don't start for a couple of years. For instance, the changes to SNAP, where they're gonna ask states to pay for some of the benefit costs wouldn't affect New Mexico until—best we can tell—FY 29. So it's not all hitting at once. And we're really teasing out when things are going to impact the state potentially."
In response to a question about the specter of Medicaid cuts forcing hospitals in rural New Mexico to close, Sallee did say that he is concerned.
"Having rate uncertainty, more people uninsured, and no supplemental payments anymore like we used to have for those hospitals, give me some worry," Sallee said.
To hear the full interview with New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee director, Charles Sallee, tune into KSFR this evening at 6 p.m. for the Forum.
